“One million Muslims around the world will be doing Hajj this year” in Saudi Arabia, “in accordance with the quotas allocated to each country and following the recommendations of the Saudi Ministry of Health”, says the Saudi newspaper Arab News. The annual hajj pilgrimage, which begins on Wednesday July 6, represents the largest influx of pilgrims since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, consists of a series of religious rites spread over five days between the holy city of Mecca and the surrounding regions. This annual pilgrimage must be performed by all Muslims who can afford it, at least once in their life.
About 850,000 pilgrims from abroad are expected in the kingdom, in addition to 150,000 faithful residing there. Several hundred thousand devotees are already in and around Mecca.
This year, the pilgrimage is reserved for Muslims aged under 65 and having a complete vaccination schedule, specifies Arab News. People coming from abroad must also present a negative PCR test carried out seventy-two hours before their departure for Saudi Arabia. Although wearing a mask in closed places has not been compulsory for a few weeks, the Saudi authorities have explained that it will be required of pilgrims in the Grand Mosque of Mecca surrounding the Kaaba.
Last year, the Saudi daily recalls, only 60,000 vaccinated people living in Saudi Arabia were allowed to perform the hajj. They were only 1,000 in 2020. In 2019, before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, nearly 2.5 million pilgrims – including 1.9 million from abroad – had made the trip.
The record dates back to 2012, when around 3.2 million Muslims performed the hajj.